Jos gravediggers on Wednesday disclosed that over a hundred corpses were buried at the popular Zaria road and Narkuta cemeteries in the last six weeks.
Bashir Muhammad and Haruna Bala, both gravediggers and chairmen of the Zaria road and Narkuta cemeteries respectively, who disclosed the development to Daily Trust, also said 49 people were buried within the last six days alone.
The duo explained that from 23rd of April to 31st of May, 56 dead bodies were buried in the two graveyards, noting that 49 more deaths were recorded in 6 days starting from 4th-10th of June this year, bringing the total deaths to 105 in just 6 weeks.
Our correspondent reports that of the 49 deaths, 37 were buried at the Zaria road cemetery while the remaining 12 were buried at the Narkuta graveyard.
Counting the newest graves, Muhammad told Daily Trust that the dead persons were mostly adults who were said to have largely died of ulcers.
“Most of the relatives of the deceased told us that the deaths were caused by ulcer.
“There has not been any strange disease related to the deaths as being rumoured in some quarters of the city,” he said.
The Chairman, Jos North Local Government Area, Hon. Shehu Bala while speaking on the morning service of Unity FM on Wednesday in Jos also confirmed the development but did not attach the increase in deaths to any strange disease, adding that he had given the gravediggers a record book to take names of corpses brought to the cemeteries henceforth.
The state commissioner of Health, Nimkong Larndam, who is also aware of the deaths, said no particular cause was associated with the deaths but the government was making efforts to investigate the matter.
A Consultant Family Physician, Dr Fatima Gyaran in Jos, said she was aware of the recent deaths being recorded in the city, saying: “I have heard two people died but were diabetic patients.
“Their deaths were not related to any strange disease.”
